Regarding "Beggs ignores spotlight to reach semis" (Page C1, Saturday), however you feel about Mack Beggs' use of hormones and other drugs to transition from being a girl to a boy, the simple fact is that Beggs - with the mass and muscle of a man - has an unfair advantage over the other born-female wrestlers.

Regarding "Prosecute him" letter (Page A17, Saturday), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service did not fail in its duties by referring the case of a teenager accused of killing a bald eagle to local courts.

Federal law, under which FWS operates, recognizes 17-year-olds as juveniles not subject to prosecution by the U.S. Attorney. For this reason, offenders under the age of 18 are routinely referred by federal agencies to local jurisdictions for prosecution under Texas law, which allows those jurisdictions the option of prosecuting them as adults.

The alleged offender, in this case, will face tougher penalties in state court than he likely would have faced if federal prosecutors had systems for dealing with juvenile offenders.

Alan Johnson, Cypress

Locking up guns

Regarding "Gun sense" (Page A17, Saturday), the editorial about proper storage of firearms proves once again the editor's desire to promote "nanny-state" solutions without engaging common sense.

The purpose of having a firearm accessible and loaded is - in case you have to use it! God forbid someone breaks into your house and threatens your family and your gun is neatly tucked away in a safe.

Parents need to teach their children the dangers; put firearms up high or hidden until children are old enough to understand. But remember that the reason many people own firearms is for protection, and the approach put forth by the editorial negates that.

Bob Fowler, Point Blank

Public school support

Regarding "'School choice' suffers setback" (Page A1, Wednesday), wow! Finally a voice of reason and logic from the state House on vouchers. State Rep. Dan Huberty, R-Houston, and others of his House Public Education Committee have realized the problem with private schools - no oversight. Private schools get to choose who they teach, what they teach, how they teach, and how they spend their money - all without anyone checking on them. There is no accountability system.

I am a retired public school teacher. My grandson goes to a private school because the school he is supposed to attend does nothing but teach test prep. I do not believe in any way that any taxpayer in the state of Texas should be paying for my grandson or anyone else to attend a private school. The taxpayers in Texas should not be subsidizing privately run schools, which in many cases are for-profit enterprises.